Angels and heads of pins

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: Bob, I'm no expert on this stuff.  I was raised in Connecticut and still live here.  Had a strong interest in the Woodland Indians as a kid, and have looked into it here and there as an adult.

: The problem is that the more I look into it recently, it does have the aspect of "angels and heads of pins".  The relationships between the European settlers and native Americans was incredibly complex, and the relationships between the native nations even more so.  And it's an area that's fraught with controversy.

: I've put a link below to a site that I found helpful in sorting out the Mohican/Mohegan differences and relationships (you have to click on the tribal name above the paragraph descriptions to get the details).  I won't vouch for it's accuracy.  If you go to what I believe to be the "root" of the site, http://www.dickshovel.com/, you'll get a notion of just how controversial things can get.

: To attempt to answer your question, the Mohegans and Mohicans/Mahicans were two distinct tribes speaking different Algonquin dialects.  At the time of King Philip's War, the Mohegan's were still quite powerful in eastern Connecticut, and there would still have been (I think) a fair number of Mohicans in northwest CT.

: At the time of the Seven Years War, the Mohegans were still a going concern, and recognizable as such.

: The Mohicans were less recognizable, but I think some of them may still have been about.

: If I were looking for a concentration of Mohicans at this time, I'd look among the Scatticooks (Schaghticokes) in the Kent area.

: There was a mix of different tribes who settled in this area--not to confuse it with the older Schaghticoke at the confluence of the Hudson and Hoosic much further north in New York.  That Schaghticoke was initially and perhaps dominantly Mohican, but had taken in many members of other tribes over several decades.  I've seen reference to large numbers (300 or so) resettling to the Connecticut Scatticook in the 1720's, and to Mohican being the dominant language there c. 1740.

: There was a strong pull north to Stockbridge, however, and I have no idea how many Mohican-speakers would still have been in place by 1754.

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: : Scott:  I am not doing too well today with getting posted.  I've been reading about King Philip's War (17th century).  I was not aware of Mohicans in Connecticut, and, I'm curious to know if they were still there during French and Indian War (18th century).  When Rich raised the question of Mohecans rather than Mohicans it confused me more.  Is it a question of spelling or are the Mohecans a different nation?  Also:  I'm wondering if some Connecticut place names (Willimantic and Natchaug come to mind) are Mohican (Mohecan?).  I'm not interested in Angels and heads of pins.  Perhaps it is just because I could be born and raised in Connecticut with NO knowledge of Mohicans that I'm somewhat startled by the fact they were there.


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